Senior Petition Trustees Left Out of Leadership Positions

From the Daily D:

“It is our expectation that the new committees of academic affairs, alumni relations and student affairs will allow the board to get closer and have more touch points with three of our most important constituencies,” Haldeman said. “We felt these committees would allow more frequent and better interaction and communication between the board and those specific constituencies.”

It is notable, however, that none of the three announced committees is chaired by a trustee who was elected to the board as a petition candidate.

In addition, none of the former petition candidates chair any committee or serve on the governance committee, the sub-group which was responsible for recommending the recent controversial changes to the board’s structure.

“We have been assured that there is an open process of making committee assignments, and alumni have expressed the opinion to me that they find that hard to believe if none of us, even senior petition trustees, are put in positions of authority,” Stephen Smith ‘88, who was nominated by petition, said. “I take Chairman Haldeman at his word: I am junior, I am just learning the ropes, but eventually, I would hope that if I work hard and earn the confidence of my colleagues, that as a trustee elected by petition I will have the opportunity to head up a committee or serve on the governance committee.”

While Haldeman was not available to comment on the committee assignment process following The Dartmouth’s interview with Smith, Roland Adams, a spokesperson for the College, said in an e-mail that “the Board’s committee assignments are made at the September retreat and are generally based on expertise and seniority.”

According to the board’s website, two trustees elected to the board in the same year or after the former petition candidates have leadership positions on the board.